Ice
by Lyroz
Summary: A not-so-typical story about a girl falling into the One Piece world. How would you like a smart,strong and very sarcastic heroine for once?Annie is not very comfortable around strangers,but she always has a sarcastic comment hidden in her sleeve. Annie never planned to run away to a different universe,and now she has to find her way back. The thing is,if she dies it's game over.
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is my first fanfic, so please be nice. Reviews, opinions and ideas to improve the story are always welcome.**

**Enjoy!(=**

**(Edit: It gets better in the latest chapters, I promise. Just read it!:D)**

**Chapter 1: An unexpected adventure.**

"You're not ditching class."

"Watch me." She said as she walked to the door, absolutely pissed off.  
Sadly, her best friend, Brian, failed to notice her foul mood.  
"I'm not gonna let you." He said, smirking. He was now standing between her and the door, blocking her path.  
"Brian, I'm serious. I WILL hurt you if you don't move RIGHT NOW."  
"Do you really think you can?" he asked, a wide smile still decorating his face."I really want to see you try, shortie." the next moment he found himself lying on the ground after having a clenched fist collide with his face. "SHIT!" he hissed as he looked up, shocked.

Annie was no longer there.

Didn't expect that, now did you? Being a 5'3 never stopped her from learning Muey Thai. She was a hell of a lot stronger than most girls her height. Annie's sharp instincts were always useful, but when it came to combat, she was nearly a genius. Every time she learned a new move, she didn't have to remember it- her body remembered it on its own.

Yet, she could feel guilt and regret pile up in her stomach as she ran towards the front entrance to her high-school. She decided to call Brian later that afternoon and apologize. Unluckily, she bumped into her Literature teacher on her way out, and when she left the school building she had the taller woman screaming her name and ordering her to come back.

She didn't.

Every person has their limits, and Annie broke through all of hers way too long ago. Did you ever suppress a part of yourself to be accepted by others? Probably. Feels awful, doesn't it? Empty, lonely and cold. So very COLD.

Annie, for example, was very good with math and science in general. She was a model student with a wonderful physique and a pretty face. What else can you ask for?

Happiness. She wanted happiness.

She couldn't find any in her current situation. That very  
Math whiz just happened to be a very talented musician, unable to improve her abilities because of her parents' insistence that "it doesn't suit her".  
It was true, though- it really didn't suit her. She never planned to become a professional guitarist or vocalist. She just needed to let her voice out once in a while, or she would feel like a bird in a cage:

Dead.

She ran all the way home- a good, forty-minute long run. When she reached her destination she had a small layer of sweat all over her body. She quickly went up the stairs to the entrance to her house, knocking on the door eagerly.  
Her father came down a minute later and opened the door, towering over her angrily.  
"Hi dad..." she said silently.  
"You ditched school again." he was never the kind of person to lose his composure. He always tried to stay calm, unmoved and cold.  
"I'm sorry, dad." she lowered her gaze to the stone floor.  
"Sorry?! Do you know how your mother feels when she receives a call saying that you left right in front of the teacher?" She could feel his anger welling up, and it scared her.  
"You will get on a bus RIGHT NOW and you WILL go back to school to apologize."  
"What?! No way!" she couldn't. She was not yet prepared to go back into that awful place. She needed some alone time with her guitar first.  
"YOU WILL NOT TALK BACK TO ME, YOUNG LADY!" he was yelling now, which meant that she crossed all the red lines.  
"O-okay... I'm sorry-"  
"Your apologies are worth NOTHING!"

A silence followed.

That was a VERY low blow. It was a reminder of the worst period of her life, in which she lied on a daily basis.

She did not deserve to be reminded of that.  
"Anna-" he said, hints of regret in his voice.  
"Leave me alone." she hissed venomously and ran up the stairs.  
"Anastasia! Come back here RIGHT NOW!"  
She didn't listen.

If you don't know her well, you'd probably think she'd lock herself up in her room and cry herself to sleep or something. You DID think that, did you? Well, you were absolutely wrong. Being feminine wasn't her thing. In fact, she was rather manly in this aspect- she saw tears as a sign of self-pity and despised them.

When she was pissed, sad, or upset, she'd just run away from the world for a short while. Not a very good thing to do, she knew, but she went through depression before and she never planned to let it happen to her again. Not as long as she was sane, anyway.

She had two different escape routes:  
The first was Ice.

As you can probably tell by the capitalized 'I', Ice is a name. If you thought it was her boyfriend or her BFF or something of this sort, you were VERY far from the truth- it was actually much more precious than any of the above (also, who the hell names their child Ice?).  
It was her soulmate, her one and only love- her acoustic guitar.

Non-guitarists could not possibly understand how intense the relationship between Annie and Ice was- it was beyond love, lust, or want- she needed it just as much as she needed air. It was a drug, and she never regretted becoming an addict.

The moment she strummed the beautiful strings, she could feel her heart warm up. She continued playing for around an hour before she ran out of good songs, and she wasn't in the mood for learning something new.

Which meant that it was time to uncover the second escape route:  
One Piece.

She always liked manga and the Japanese culture in general, but One Piece was absolutely out of this world. She LOVED it. Just thinking about it made her smile.  
She had a whole bunch of the manga books, yet the top one was the one with the Thriller Bark arc. She lied down on her bed and opened the book lazily. As she went through the pages, she noticed that something was wrong. She knew all the dialogues by heart, yet some parts seemed different. At first she assumed it was her mistake and let it off, but when it occurred for the fourth time she started suspecting the situation.

She kept reading anyway. She was just about to reach the best part when she stumbled upon two pages that were stuck together.  
She carefully pulled at them to avoid ruining her precious book, and soon succeeded in pulling them apart, but what she found on them was NOT what she expected.

'~DO YOU WANT TO GO ON AN ADVENTURE?~'

**Don't worry, action will follow (soon). I already have 3 more chapters ready, and I will upload them as soon as someone asks me to :|  
****Thx for reading!(= R&R ^~^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: And the Fun Begins**

"~DO YOU WANT TO GO ON AN ADVENTURE?~"

She dropped the book on the pillow and sat up. She stared at it for a moment, shocked, and thought over all the possible options:

Her parents respected her privacy, and they would never harm her belongings, even jokingly.  
Her older brother was away for a week now, training to join the military.

Unless a ninja invaded her room and ruined her book, there was no way to pass it off as a prank.

As curious as she was, the logical side of her brain insisted that there should be a logical explanation. She carefully turned over the page to see what's on the next one .

'~IS THAT A YES? Careful, once you turn the page, there is no way back.~'

She would've been more careful had she not been so stunned by the text's appearance. She turned the page again.

'~GREAT! You will be moved to the One Piece universe in fifteen minutes. Anything that will be in direct contact with you body will be transferred as well. Choose wisely.~'

She chuckled as she read this. She didn't believe it. Yet, there was some sort of uneasiness in her gut so she decided to trust her intuition and take precaution measures.

After thinking about it for a moment, she realized that if, theoretically, it IS true, she just might be moved into the middle of the ocean- unlike many of the girl-falls-into-One-Piece fanfics, THIS was reality. Theoretically, the odds that she'd be transferred directly to the Strawhats' ship were almost 0%.

With that in mind, she took a blue water-resistant backpack and put a First Aid kit in it, as well as her green hippo plush toy, two sets of dry clothes, a knife, two water bottles and a inflatable mattress.

She was ready, and feeling utterly ridiculous.  
She even wrote a note to her parents, telling them that she was fine and not to worry. She put on the backpack and turned the page again.

'If you die there, you'll never come back. See yourself warned.'

The next page was blank. And so was the one after it, and all the pages till the end of the book. In fact, these few pages were the only written pages on the whole book.

At this point, Annie started believing.

Anastasia Denise Bennett was going on an adventure in the One Piece world.

Believe it or not, she wasn't sure she wanted to leave.

First, there was no way to guarantee that she could even survive A SINGLE DAY in the One Piece universe, not to mention that the odds were that she would be transferred to a place deep in the ocean, where she would be crushed by the water pressure.

Second, she had unfinished business in her world. She was yet to prove herself as an artist, especially to her parents.  
Also, she had her friends and her family whom she will probably worry to hell.

'I will definitely come back alive.' she thought, determined.

For some reason, she didn't doubt the book anymore- she had been sitting on her bed for almost a minute, waiting, but she didn't feel stupid nor naive for falling for a prank.  
Her intuition rarely failed her.

"Anastasia D. Bennett. You will now be transferred to the One Piece universe. " A deep, manly voice spoke. She was immediately able to find its source- the book, of course.

"I'm ready," she answered.

And then, she was struck by unimaginable pain. It was unlike anything she felt before- every single piercing she ever got combined felt like a weak slap on the wrist compared to the pain that pierced every single cell of her body.  
She didn't scream, though. She just clenched her teeth and held her breath, a lonely tear of pain escaping the cage of her thick, black eyelashes.

She would never remember losing consciousness, for she was too concentrated on the searing pain. When she woke up, she was safe.  
Luck was on her side, after all- she immediately recognized the island as Drum Island, Chopper's hometown.

In fact, she found herself in a very specific place on the island: the top.  
"You're up?" she heard a familiar voice and turned her eyes in its direction.

She immidiately recognized the woman. "Dr. Kureha. It's a pleasure to meet you." Knowing how sensitive the woman was about her age, Annie dropped the "ma'am" .  
"Oh? And here I thought that you were an outsider. How come I've never seen you before?" she said as she walked towards the bed Annie was lying on.

"Actually, I AM an outsider. I have never been to this island before." at this point, Doctorine started poking her injuries, checking the progress. Annie felt every touch as if it were a dagger, yet she didn't complain- she knew that it was the woman's way of treating patients, and was grateful for receiving medical attention from a doctor of Kureha's caliber.

"How come you know my name, then? Most first-timers call me Majo, you know."  
"I respect you too much to call you a witch. Also, I am very grateful to you for taking care of Chopper, even though it has nothing to do with me."

When she heard the comment, Doctorine stopped touching Annie's wounds.  
"I knew you were odd. who are you?" Doctorine was now very suspicious, and Annie knew just how strong the woman was, and how stupid angering her would be.  
"Wait- please listen to me first. I mean no harm."  
"How do you know about Chopper?" She took a step back and clenched her fist as she said these words.  
"I will explain everything, Kureha-sensei*, just let me start from the beginning."  
"Start talking." she was (obviously) still very suspicious of Annie.

"Thank you. First, I must ask you not to share this information with anyone unless you find it necessary."  
"Brat, you are now held captive. You are in no position to demand anything." Kureha was losing her patience.  
"I didn't demand anything- I merely asked for a favor. Please, just keep it in mind." She stared into Doctorine's eyes, trying to express her honesty.

"it will be a little hard to believe it at first, but it will become logical as I continue, so please keep your head open." Doctorine still stood by the bed, intimidating and powerful.

Annie took a deep breath before speaking again: " first, I would like to mention that I come from a different universe."  
Kureha snorted at this. "Is this a joke? Do I look stupid?"  
"No, I am absolutely serious. " She said, "And from that universe I was able to see some of the occurrences in this universe." she smiled.

"And that, sensei, is my proof" that was the moment when she started telling the whole story about Chopper's past and various moments or situations which she could not possibly know about unless she was actually there.

At some point Kureha stopped glaring daggers and sat down on the cold ground, astonished. She never cut into Annie's words nor has she made any moves to mock her.  
She started believing her.

"Kureha-san, you are an intelligent woman. You understand that there are only two possible options- either I am telling the truth or I am a devil fruit user with a telepathy-related ability. I will be more than pleased to prove that the latter is not the case." Annie said, ignoring the pain that struck her leg when she finished telling the story.

Kureha shrugged. "No need. I can see that the earrings you're wearing are made from sea-stone."  
"Really? They are?" Annie asked, surprised.  
"You didn't know? Heeheeheehee, that's weird." she got up from the ground.  
Doctorine grinned before speaking.

"I believe you."

***sensei is the title of both a teacher and a doctor. In this case, the reference is to the latter.**

**Thx for reading! R&R**


	3. Chapter 3

**This one is for SugoiAuthorToBe for the very first review Q_Q (tears of happiness and stuff)**

**WARNING! From here on, the fanfic will contain spoilers up to the latest anime chapters. I will do my best to spoil the latest manga chapters, though ^^**

**Enjoy!(:**

**Chapter 3**

"I believe you" Kureha said, a wide grin spreading on her face.

Annie's face lit up as she heard these words. "Ah! Thank you, Kureha-sensei! Thank you!" She tried sitting up in the bed, but her attempts were futile- she let out a sharp breath and fell back down to the soft mattress.  
"Heeheeheehee, don't try to get up, brat! You're pretty beat up."  
"Sorry, Kureha-sensei. "Annie said while trying to breathe normally again.  
"Your pain tolerance is impressive, kid."  
"I studied Muey Thai from a 6'2 man who never took it easy on me."  
"Heeheeheehee, 'Muey Thai', huh? sounds interesting."

The conversation seemed to be light and friendly yet it was actually awkward and dry.  
"Kureha sensei. Like I asked you before, could you please not share this information unless it's necessary? I don't think the marines, for example, would believe me. It could get me in trouble."  
She nodded. "I will take this into consideration."  
"Thank you. Also, if you want me to provide more details about my world, I would be very pleased to share some."

And that's how they ended up discussing everything from medicine to politics.  
Doctorine was especially fascinated by cancer, and was determined to find a subject with this condition to learn more about it. When Annie started describing the term we know as democracy, Doctorine listened, wide-eyed and curious.

Annie didn't like talking so much but she knew that she wasn't safe yet. Kureha had no reason to trust her, so Annie was still under an immediate threat. The conversation was completed with Annie telling Kureha a few things about herself.

"Oh? You play the guitar? That's weird. After dragging you here from the shore, where I found you, a guitar appeared on my doorstep. I could give it to you-" Annie's intuition screamed that it was exactly what she thought it was.

"Kureha-sensei, please let me see it!" she squealed excitedly. She didn't take Ice with her because she didn't want to risk damaging it, so could it be that Ice loved her enough to follow her on her own?

When Kureha came back into the room with a familiar, worn-out guitar case in her hands, Annie squealed and jumped up from the bed to run towards her loved one, but she fell after on step and found herself with her cheek on the cold stone floor.

"Idiot! Who said you could get up!" understanding how precious the guitar was, she put it against the wall carefully before helping Annie back into the bed.

"Kureha-san... Kureha-san, arigatou." Annie found herself sobbing. Despite hating tears, she felt so relieved when she found out that she wasn't in this alone.

"You're welcome. Heeheeheehee " Kureha's mood got better with every single thing the kid did. She actually liked her- the kid sucked at hiding her feelings, and the older woman could easily tell that the girl was frightened. She really did respect her for trying to hide her emotions, though.

"Kureha-san, can I ask you a few questions to understand the current situation in this world?"

"No need. I'll tell you what you want to know: Mugiwara-tachi are past the Red Line and they are currently in an alliance with Shinogekai Trafalgar Law."  
"Thought so. Do you know anything about Doflu?"  
"Doflu? Do you mean the royal shichibukai, Donxiquote Doflamingo?"  
"Yes. Sorry, it's just that his name is a mouthful..."  
"Heeheeheehee, you really are interesting, brat." she said, smiling.  
"From the way you speak, is it safe to assume that Doflamingo didn't resign from his position as a shichibukai yet?" Annie asked suspiciously, trying to figure out exactly how far into the manga her current location was.

"Quit being a shichibukai? Why would he do that?" Kureha asked, astonished.  
"He's being blackmailed by Law. It will probably reach the newspapers in a few days."  
"Oh, I see..." and with that, they both stopped speaking for a while. Annie never told Kureha what she was going to do when she recovered, and Kureha was kind enough not to ask. She was still having a hard time processing all the information about this girl.

"Ne, Kureha-san..." Annie said, sighing. "You use haki, right?"  
Kureha looked at her, dumbfounded. It took her almost a minute to carefully decide on her answer.  
"Yes. I use haki. Why did you ask?"  
"I am sorry for depending on you so much, but could you please teach me how to use haki?"

**Sorry that this one is so short _ It's just that if I didn't cut it off here, I have no idea where I would.  
****Thanks for reading! R&R ^^**


	4. Chapter 4

**Next one is up! Please review. Seriously, even negative reviews are wanted. I really need opinions :|**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4**

"Why would you even want to learn how to use haki?" Kureha asked, still surprised.

"In my world, your willpower cannot make you stronger. My physical build is weak- I am very short, barely a 5'3. I want to make up for it using haki, if possible." she didn't like talking about her height, but she had to admit that the issue burdened her.

"That I can understand. What I meant is that I can't see a reason why you would like to waste time on it if you plan on leaving this world, you know? "  
"I didn't tell you how I got here, did I?" Annie said, looking away.

"I stupidly charged head-on into something way bigger than me. I don't think I'd be able to go back unless I fulfilled my purpose in this world, and I cannot do that unless I am strong enough to defend myself."

Kureha looked at the sixteen-year-old who talked as if she was her age or older. The girl kept surprising her with every single word she said.

She liked her A LOT at this point.

"Your determination is admirable. I accept- I will teach you how to use haki when you recover."

"Ah! Arigatou, Kureha-san!" Annie could feel relief wash over her as she heard the answer. Now that she had a purpose and a goal, she could feel the tiredness gain control over her body.

Kureha, noticing the change, smiled. "Heeheeheehee, you should sleep now, child."  
"Thank you again. For everything." Annie's eyes closed a moment later.

Kureha stayed up late that night. Could she really trust the girl? The whole story, despite being illogical, seemed real; she finally accepted it a few hours later- no person could invent a story with this many fine details in such a short time, especially while injured.

Would the kid use the strength for good? Or will she abuse it? Actually, understanding the girl's logic was relatively simple, because Annie was very intelligent for her age and thought logically, not relying on her impulse too much.

If you had to gain strength fast in the One Piece world, you'd probably eat a devil's fruit, wouldn't you? Annie didn't consider this an option, knowing that being unable to swim will burden her if she ever returned to her world.

Kureha smiled. It was almost as if she could read the girl because of how similar they were. You'd thing that a girl as pretty as Annie would not waste time on her studies and would spend her life partying while screaming "yolo".

Annie was very mature in that aspect, yet very childish from another: she didn't spend time drooling over guys or starving herself to look good. She enjoyed the present while taking the future into consideration.

Actually, Kureha knew that the girl manipulated her thoughts to avoid angering her. Considering how polite Annie was, you could tell that she wanted to attach "ma'am" to some of the sentences out of respect, but stopped herself because she knew Kureha was very sensitive about her age.

**"Heeheeheehee. Anastasia D. Bennett. Does the D cause havoc in your world, too?"**

"Ho- it really was true!" Kureha grinned as she showed Annie the morning paper.  
"Yeah. He's gonna betray them soon, though."  
"What?! Why didn't you warn them?!" Kureha gasped.  
"These guys are strong. I can't wait to see them beat Doflu to pulp."

Kureha laughed at this. "I like your attitude."

Annie had her leg injured, and she was bed-ridden for two days now. She told Kureha stories about Chopper's adventures, and when the doctor was busy, she drowned herself in Doctorine's library.

"You like reading?" Kureha asked when Annie requested access to her library.  
"I do. I am, in fact, a bookworm." Kureha smiled at this.  
"Most of my books are about medicine, I don't think you will enjoy it." She shrugged.

"Most of the plants and the animals here probably don't exist in my world, so reading these books would just mess up my head. Do you have anything about human anatomy? I think we are similar in that aspect," Annie didn't want to invade the woman's library by reading her private books, but she was VERY bored and she couldn't help it.

Kureha enjoyed watching the girl as she read, fascinated and unmoving. You could tell by the way her eyes brushed the pages quickly that she swallowed every word as if it was her favorite candy.

Annie soon knew enough about human anatomy to read lectures to Med students. The books were very accurate and straight-to-the-point, keeping her interested in the intense details in the book.

It has been three days since her arrival when the newspaper posted the news about Doflamingo, and the next day she was finally allowed out of bed.

That's when her haki training sessions begun.

"That was very stupid of you, brat."

"Yeah, I know. I just really wanted to try this one." Annie smiled, both her teeth and her fists clenched in attempt to control the pain of receiving a hit to her wounded leg.

Kureha was exhausted, Annie could tell, but she respected the woman's decision to hide this fact and didn't mention it.

The first day of training was the hardest mentally: it was pure theory. Unlike a certain rubberman, Annie could learn in a way different than agonizing experience (fighting Rayleigh is got to be tough, you know?), so Kureha simply explained how to activate haki.

Do you thing that one could simply understand how to activate a muscle that she didn't know existed until a short while ago?

Well, Annie didn't think so, either.

Guess what? The second day of training was even harder. Not mentally, though: it was physically challenging.

You probably thing that it was because activating haki for the first time is hard, don't you? Well, you're wrong again- it was the opposite: the moment she activated her haki for the first time, she lost control of it. Kureha spent the whole day trying to suppress her haki, but with no results.

It took them three days and three nights to get Annie to control her haki on a level that would allow her to sleep without worrying about destroying the island unintentionally.

After resting for two days, they both finally started communicating again.

"Brat. Where the hell did you get a haki that strong?" Kureha sat down on a chair in her kitchen with a cup of tea in her hand, hinting that Annie should join her.

"Hell if I know. Is that even possible that a person who never used haki before can emit this much strength?" Annie said as she sat down. "Don't misunderstand me, I suppose that strength is good in this world, but you know what they say- great power comes with great responsibility and such…"

"Who said that?" Kureha changed the subject out of curiosity.

"Uncle Ben, of course." She thought it over again. "Ah, never mind, I forgot you've never read Spiderman…" She mentally facepalmed when she understood how stupid she'd been.

"Is that a book?" Kureha said, sipping from her tea cup.

"Sort of. It's a story book in which the story is told through pictures and speech bubbles."

Kureha nodded, understanding the definition of a comic book.

"Anyway, I don't think I can continue training with you…" Annie stopped herself from continuing.

"Because I'm too weak? That's okay, child, I never claimed that I was strong." Kureha said, petting Annie's head. "That won't be a problem. I asked a good friend for help. He'll get here in a few days, you should rest till then."

"Really?!" Annie was overjoyed that her haki training does not end here. She took another look on Kureha's overly-realistic facial features- you'd think that she'd look like an anime character, but it was quite the opposite- the only unrealistic thing was that the skin tone of the people here was always absolutely homogeneous, which made them look younger and healthier.

"Yes. I called him via den den mushi to ask for advice regarding your training method, and he showed a lot of interest in you so he personally volunteered to train you. Actually, he asked me for permission to examine you first, to make sure you'll use this strength for good. Don't stress over it, I think you'll pass easily." Kureha got up from the chair, taking the teacup with her to the sink. "I have to leave for a few hours to check up on all the people in town. I've been absent for a while, after all. Will you be okay on your own?"

Annie was astonished to discover that Kureha trusted her enough to entrust the castle to her. She smiled. "Of course, sensei."

"Good. I'm leaving." She said.

That was the last time Annie ever saw her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

True, it was the last time Annie ever saw Kureha, but neither of them knew it yet.

When Kureha left, Annie finally had some privacy. If you paid attention, she always had someone around up until now, so she obviously couldn't give any attention to Ice.

Actually, she could. What stopped her from taking it out of the black guitar case and playing a few notes? Kureha wouldn't mind and she knew it.

Now, that is something very few would understand, even among fellow guitarists.

The moments spent with Ice were the most intimate moments of her life. She poured her soul into the music, playing even the harshest songs softly and lovingly. She LOVED playing the guitar. It was like breathing to her- she could simply not live without it.

The moment that Kureha left, she ran the the room that was assigned to her and picked up the guitar, quickly pulling it out of the case.

Ice was unharmed, yet untuned.

She sat down on the bed and started tuning it, occasionally looking at the mirror in front of her, enjoying watching how Ice and she complimented each other, her long, red hair falling right behind the guitar down to her mid-back.

Having straight hair was always comfortable, because it rarely looked messy or anything of this sort. Also, she wanted to ask Kureha to cut her hair later, because her bangs started getting into her eyes.

Looking at the mirror, she could still notice the flash of her crystal gray eyes under the long bangs; a piercing shade of gray, a storm of emotions.

It took her less than two minutes to re-tune Ice, for she already knew the exact sound of every string by heart. She smiled again before she started playing, deciding to play a very nostalgic song.

_Hey there Delilah_

_What's it like in New York City?_

_I'm a thousand miles away_

_But girl, tonight you look so pretty_

_Yes you do_

_Times Square can't shine as bright as you_

_I swear it's true_

It was the first song she ever taught herself. Hey There Delilah by The Plain White T's. At the time, she didn't even have her own guitar. She borrowed one from her older brother and she couldn't even hold it properly.

In fact, she never learned the whole song. Only the first two parts.

For some reason, she sang along to this song. She usually didn't do this kind of stuff, but that day, she really had to let her voice out, so she sang.

After playing this one, she went for a less popular genre of music. Emo.

The next song was a BVB song. The Mortician's daughter. It was very different from the original, because it was the version she and her friend Jacob created together. In her opinion, it was ten times better than the original (A/N: Dear BVB Army, please don't kill me! Q_Q).

As she sang her part of the song, skipping Jacob's parts, she heard someone else speak.

"That's a pretty song." She instantly turned her head to her left to see whose voice it was, quickly putting Ice on the bed and taking a defensive stance. She looked around the room, searching for the origin of the mysterious voice, but her attempts were futile.

"Where are you?" She asked nervously.

"In your head, child." The voice was manly and slightly frightening. Annie could tell that the man it belonged to was a person who deserved to be feared. The thing is that somehow, the voice was familiar.

"How?" She asked silently.

"Conqueror's haki." Her heart skipped a beat as she heard these words.

"Who are you?" She knew that she would not receive an answer to this question. Had the man wanted to show himself, he would have done so already.

"Come outside." He ordered her.

"That's what she said…" she murmured, but she did as she was told, knowing that it was for the best.

After finding the coat Kureha lent her, she went outside, frightened. There, right outside her window, was a tall, well-built man wearing a huge white cape and a matching mask.

"Walk with me." He commanded her. She despised being ordered around, yet she did as she was told.

"Annie, was it?"

"Anastasia for you, sir." She didn't want to be rude to a man who overpowered her, but she couldn't help herself.

"Oh? I see. You're an idiot with guts. I like those."

"What do you want?" Annie was losing her calm as she spoke these words.

"I'm curious about you." As he said these words he used his haki to quickly move to a spot not far from there, demonstrating his power. Annie, in her turn, ran to that spot, following the man, knowing that she had no other choice.

The moment she got there. He attacked her.

His attack was _not _infused with haki, which surprised her. It was just a well-aimed punch to the jaw, yet he still missed. She ducked and launched an attack of her own in response, successfully punching his ribs, yet he avoided taking any serious damage by coming closer as she punched him and receiving the hit willingly, decreasing the punch's momentum.

"Not bad. Didn't expect such a reaction from a haki user while not using haki." She had the urge to compliment him, impressed.

"Didn't expect such a punch from someone your height, either."

"What do you want?" She asked again.

"Nothing, actually. I was just passing by and I heard you playing the guitar so I decided to have some fun. Also, I needed a workout." He observed her reaction carefully, she could tell- he didn't make any moves hinting that he was planning an attack, but she felt as if his deep coal-colored eyes raided the depths of her soul.

"I know you." She whispered in realization. "You're-"

"Don't let down your guard, child." He let out an emotionless laugh as he attacked her again, still no haki in his punches.

She smiled. The situation was finally clear… so she decided to give this fight her all.

"Aaaaaargh!" she yelled as she caught the man's hand mid-air and used his weight against him: she lifted him off the ground, twisting his hand and threw him to a random spot to her left. The man, being a dozen times stronger and more experienced than her, landed on his feet and immediately attacked her again.

The fight continued, and after a few minutes she was already bruised all over while the man was still unscratched.

In fact, she never thought she _could_ hit him, knowing his true identity. She knew she would never stand a chance against a man of his caliber. Either way, she decided to make the best out of this fight.

She was in the middle of a desperate attempt to land a high kick when she accidentally let out a happy burst of laughter, resulting in the caped man looking at her curiously.

He stopped attacking her after blocking that last kick, staring at her as she laughed frantically, her hands gently holding her aching stomach. "S-sorry," she said between giggles,"I hadn't had this much fun for a while."

After a few seconds she quickly calmed herself down, taking a fighting pose again. "Came at me, Rayleigh-san."

"Ow. Owowowowoweeee-"The sounds that she made while sitting down amused the now unmasked Rayleigh, so he laughed.

"It's your fault for challenging me."

"I know. It was worth it, though. Even though I am certain that I did NOT provide you a workout, I had lots of fun. So… thank you, I guess."

"You pass." His expression was serious again as he said these words.

"Excuse me?" She looked at him, surprised.

"You pass. Didn't Kureha-baa tell you that I will test your heart?" He looked surprised.

"What?! Could it mean that you… Will you be the one to train me…?" Her jaw fell as he nodded, approving that her guess was correct.

"It can't be… but… I mean… You're RAYLEIGH for god's sake. THE Rayleigh…"

"As I suspected, you knew my identity, too… Kureha-baa told me about your impressive knowledge of the private lives of some of the people here-"

"-Of course I know who you are!" she cut him off in the middle of the sentence (a bad habit of hers). "You're one of my favorite cha- one of my favorite people from here!" She couldn't let herself call him a 'character'… he'd think she's insane.

"Ah, what an honor." He laughed, making her laugh as she realized what a huge confession she just let out.

They were now sitting in 'her' room in Kureha's residence and Rayleigh was treating Annie's broken wrist. She punched him at the exact moment he hardened his flesh using **Busoshoku **Haki and broke her wrist.

When he finished rearranging her broken bones, he got up and ordered her to pack all her belongings.

"What? We're leaving?" She held her breath as she realized this fact. "I can't… I need to thank Kureha-sensei…"

"What a polite child," He laughed again. "It's already taken care of. Which reminds me, she told me to give you this," He took off the tiny bag that was hanging on his shoulder and took out two books. "The blue one is all the first-aid tips you will need in your stay in this… world… and the red one is a summary of our history."

"Wow…" she whispered. "Thank you… Rayleigh-san, Kureha-sensei..."he smiled at her comment and took a look at her guitar. "I've heard that guitars are named, too." He blurted out.

"Ice."

"Excuse me?"

"Her name is Ice," She said, carefully lifting it off the bed and putting it back into the case. Her backpack was already packed and on her bag, and her guitar case found its way there, too.

"I am ready." She said determined.

He spared her another look before replying. "Good."

**(1) I'm back! sorry it took me so long to update... I will probably update a lot in the next few weeks, can't promise though! :D  
****Also, imma try to make the chapters longer.**

**(2) Thank you for reading! please R&R ! (:**

**(3) No, seriously, thank you guys so much...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"What IS this place? It seems vaguely familiar…" The place was in ruins; rubble was all she could see but it could be that this was only an effect created by the heavy fog.

"A land that was once known as Upper Yard." Rayleigh jumped elegantly from one piece of rubble to another one, his expression changing to sadness as he said these words.

"You-"Annie's jaw dropped. "Sky- Skypiea?!" Annie was screaming on the inside as she muttered the name, shocked.

"Ah, so you know about it…" Rayleigh stopped walking, the sadness on his face turning to anger. "These damn bastards… they finished Enel's mastery."

"All these people…"

"They escaped. Not a single life was lost." This didn't make the blow any lighter- everything the Strawhats and the people on the island fought for, everything they wanted to protect… was now rubble at her feet.(A/N: BRACE YOURSELVES, SPOILERS ARE COMING)

"Was it… Was it Bellamy?" This made the tall man freeze. Bellamy's visit to Skypiea was an occurrence known of by very, VERY several people. In fact, it was on the very last chapter of One Piece she'd read before arriving to this world.

"No." Rayleigh started walking again as he muttered the word. "No, Bellamy is just an underling of his…" Rayleigh clearly didn't want to tell her who the man responsible for this was, so she bit her lip and kept her questions to herself. They walked for a while longer without saying a single word and Annie occasionally turned her head to her sides to browse the destruction all around her. The Island has crashed into the blue sea and was no longer a sky island- just another piece of land, nothing like the holy land it used to be in the past. In fact, the island cracked in a few places when it was banished from the skies and it had a somehow flower-like shape now.

Jaya has returned to its respectful place.

The rubble was slowly pushed away from certain places by the thick roots of the trees, creating whole spaces in which one could never tell what this island has been through. Sadly, these beautiful spaces were very small and Annie felt emptiness every time she left one and came back into the forest that used to be unbelievably beautiful.

She also paid attention to where she was walking- she could tell that falling on the sharp rocks would hurt like hell and she didn't want to make sure of it. She was just about to call out to Rayleigh, who was walking right in front of her, when she found herself facing an obstacle. "Ray-"She cut herself off mid-sentence, receiving a questioning look from the bearded man. She couldn't move. She couldn't talk. She couldn't even blink.

Suddenly, Rayleigh's expression changed drastically and his face hardened, his wrinkles seeming twice as deep as they usually were. He quickly jumped to catch Annie as she was falling, put her on his back and started running.

Annie was breathing heavily as she was put on the ground on the center of upper yard, where Giant Jack's home used to be. After being cut off, only a tiny part of it was left; it's been two years, though, and it started growing again.

Annie spared a glance to the stem's direction and her eyes widened as she realized what she had to do. "Ray…Rayleigh…" she lifted her hand weakly and pointed at the stem. "Please… help me... touch-" Rayleigh nodded and helped her put her hand on what was left of Giant Jack. The moment her long, slender fingers made contact with the plant, she found herself closing her eyes and taking in a very sharp breath.

She could SEE.

Rayleigh, despite seeing this little "ritual" happen before thanks to the man he was first mate of, was shocked. What this girl was going through at the moment was no children's game.

She was a D.

Now that he thought of it, she DID have the conqueror's haki, and she DID mention her full name… but the odds were ridiculous; no one would think that a girl that appeared from another world would have IT…

The ability shared by all _true_ D's. The secret behind this tiny digit that wreaked havoc all over his world.

_The ability to hear the voice of all things._

It's only been around five minutes from the moment Annie was struck by an invisible force, but she has already fully recovered and standing tall (not literally, sadly) and prepared to walk again. "Rayleigh… What was it…?"

"The voice of Giant Jack."  
"I saw it…" she whispered. "The pain, the destruction… Everything was destroyed…!" She took in a deep breath as she saw the man's serious face once again. "Who is it? "She whispered. "The man behind the mask." Annie had a vision. She saw the island as it used to be, beautiful beyond belief and very peaceful, the island as it used to be before a single masked man came by and crushed the island. All was destroyed and Jack… Jacked asked her for help. He asked for vengeance. Jack SPOKE to her.

"What you've just seen was no vision. "He said, still unable to fully comprehend the fact that the girl standing by his side was one-of-a-kind. "Do you know what the 'D' in your, Roger's and Luffy's names stand for?"

"You can't be serious-"

"But I am. "He cut her off. "I am serious, Annie. " The look in his eyes confirmed this fact.

"I am…. Do I carry the Will of D?" She was breathless. How could this be possible? She wasn't from here to begin with! She couldn't be a descendant of the people who carried the D's…

"Yes." Rayleigh didn't look pleased at all. She could tell, just from looking at him, that it was a heavy burden that he certainly did NOT want her to carry.

"Listen, child," he spoke to her silently, harshly. "Do NOT share this information unless it is ABSOLUTELY unavoidable. Am I clear? "She nodded in response.

"Good. Anyway, we're almost there," he pointed at a spot not far from there, "look." And she saw it. The land in front of her was empty- no broken trees or shattered stones whatsoever- except a magnificent stone building designed as a fortress. "What IS this place?" she whispered, shocked, flowers were scattered all around the giant fortress, as well as tiny buildings that will later be introduced to her as the farm, the hen, the armory and the stable.

"This, child, is base G, our mother base."

"Our- whose? What's going on?" She was very, VERY confused. She put Ice down as she browsed her surroundings again. She could tell that all buildings were built using an unnatural force, obviously a devil's fruit- they were all made of stone, which was obviously not from this region. Also, they looked as if they _grew _from the earth.

"You are **not** alone, kiddo. A few more people came here from wherever you came from, although every one of you had a different background story. Did you really think I was so old that I'd risk exposing this secret to a total stranger?" he looked amused, finally changing the gloomy mood. "It did seem suspicious," she confessed, "but I knew that you have your motives, and somehow, I DO trust YOU."

"So did all others." He chuckled as he saw the baffled look on her face. "As I was saying, there are a few more people of your _kind_ here, "-this fact was slowly sinking into her consciousness- "But only one is present right now."

"Oh my god…" She whispered, "I'm not in this alone…! Do you know what that means-"

"You've GOT to be kidding me." A deep, manly voice called out. "A girl? A _girl_, Rayleigh?" A young man was walking towards them from the entrance of the fortress. He was barely dressed- a pair of long denim pants was the only thing protecting his body from the harsh sun, yet he was almost as pale as she was. She didn't pay much attention to his looks as he got closer- she focused on his aura. '_This man… This man is DANGEROUS.'_

"Ryan-"

"No. This IS a joke, right? She's just some whore you've brought from Kureha's, right? RIGHT? "Annie's anger was cutting into her flesh as he said those words yet she didn't make a single move to attack him.

She knew better than to attack from the front.

"Ryan, calm DOWN," This time, the one whose voice seemed threatening was no other than Silver Rayleigh. The man, Ryan, realized his position and did as he was told and _zipped it._ "Rayleigh," he said, "I _can't _do it. She's a _girl_ for god's sake!" he was raising his voice again, "We can't afford to waste strength to protect her." His eyes had a pleading look in them. 'He really doesn't like me, huh?' she thought.

Rayleigh laughed at this comment. "Careful, boy. If you keep talking like this, _you _might be the one who needs protection. I bet she could beat you up in a duel if you don't use haki."

"Please," he snorted. "She's half my height and probably a quarter of my weight. No way she could."

"Is that a challenge? " Annie spoke from the first time since meeting the man. She was _pissed_- not only did the man make fun of her physique, he was obviously a prejudiced asshole who thought women were only useful when you find them in your _bed_. She _hated_ those guys as much as she hated useless female leads in anime, which is _a lot._

Ryan, in response, looked at her dead in the eyes and a sleazy smirk found its way to his elegant lips. "Come at me."

"Wait, "Rayleigh could see the eagerness of both of the participants, so he decided to take advantage of it. "If we have a challenge, shall we make it a bet? "

"Spit it out." They both replied at the same time, willing to get it over with.

"Annie, if you win," Rayleigh smirked, "Ryan will be in charge of your haki training-"

"**No way**" They replied together again, sparing a single look to each other before looking back at Rayleigh.

"-he will also have to acknowledge Annie as a respectable opponent and apologize for everything he said earlier."

"Deal." Annie said. Ryan just snorted. "Arrogant asshole. "She muttered.

"Bitch."

"Loser."

Ryan was going to reply with a comment that doesn't suit the rating of this story when Rayleigh interrupted: "Ryan, if you win, I will personally take responsibility for everything related to Annie's training until she is strong enough to hold back an admiral."

"Deal. "He accepted instantly.

Rayleigh smiled. "Great. Begin."

"I won't go easy on you just 'cause you're a girl."

"Good. Winning this would be boring otherwise." He clenched his teeth.

"**Go**." The moment the word left his mouth, he regretted it- she was _fast_, and he didn't have his guard up. This error made him receive some light damage as a punch he couldn't fully avoid collided with his jaw. "_First blood_" Annie chuckled and ducked as he quickly retaliated and attacked her.

"Stop running away, imp!" The 6'4 (193 cm) man blurted out as the 5'3 (160 cm) girl launched herself from many different directions and put tiny bruises all over his body, being careful not to attack from the front and stick to his sides. That's what she learned from playing League of Legends. "Who's an imp, you fat-ass maniac!" she kicked his chest as she said these words, _hard_. She kick collided with the side of his ribcage (nope, that's not where she was aiming for, but it worked so she didn't mind.) and his breath was forced out of his mouth as she broke two of his ribs. He fell down to the ground and when he wanted to stand back up he had a foot resting on his throat.

This battle was over with Annie's crushing victory.

"Do it." He said, "Do it. Break my neck. I know you want to."

"Not until I get my apology."

"I'd rather die."

"Well that's a shame, 'cause I won't let you." She took her foot off of his neck.

"Coward." He breathed out.

"_Do not confuse mercy for weakness."_

"And will you _please_ stop quoting Ashe? " (A/N: It's a champion from LoL)

"Oh~ you know the game!" She chuckled. "Bet you play Teemo."(A/N: Another champ from LoL. The most annoying one, actually. I hate him with a passion.)

"Shut up." He said, getting up and looking at Rayleigh. "She's not bad."

"Not bad? I just kicked your ass!" She breathed out impatiently.

"Say it." Rayleigh replied to Ryan.

"Fine, fine. I won't break my word…" he took a deep breath. "You are a formidable opponent. I was wrong when I called you a whore." She could tell that he didn't mean a single word from what he just said and that he was even angrier now after his loss. She felt better, though.

"I know. "She smiled at him, as sweetly as possible. He looked as if he was going to explode. She laughed.

The truth is that she wasn't all that pleased with winning- she honestly wanted Rayleigh to train her. But knowing what a busy man he was, she couldn't afford to ask so much of him. Rayleigh entrusted her to this man, so she decided to trust his decision and go with it.

She looked at Ryan, a sad look in her eyes. "Please take care of me."

Ryan, surprised by the change of her mood, just nodded and didn't say a word.

**Thx for reading!(:**

**Sup people! Another chapter is out. It'd be great if you'd point out my errors and mistakes (thanks CallmeEevee , bsdurler, love you guys). Also, SugoiAuthorToBe, thx for your long reviews :P**

******Anyways, I tried to make it a bit longer and I will try again next chapter, too. **

**Cya!**


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